RecipeDB - BullsHead Kolsch

[Tony]

BullsHead Kolsch

Ale - Kölsch
All Grain

6 Votes

Brewer's Notes

This beer was a big win. My dad is my most honest critic. He is into fine wine and beer and when he tried this is face kinda scrunched up in pleasure and he said......... "Damn that's an awsome beer...... thats just......... awsome beer!"
Mashed in @ 52 for 10 min, infuse with boiling water to 64 for 45 min, then again to 71 for 15 min, mash out at this. Yeast was Wyeast 2575PC Kolsch II fermented at 17 deg c then CC'd for 2 weeks. Filtered from primary at 4 deg and carbed over 2 days..... AWSOME!!!

Malt & Fermentables

%	KG	Fermentable
	9.5 kg	Weyermann Pilsner
	0.5 kg	Weyermann Pale Wheat

Hops

Time	Grams	Variety	Form	AA
	120 g	Tettnang (Pellet, 4.5AA%, 40mins)

54L Batch Size

Brew Details

• Original Gravity 1.046 (calc)
• Final Gravity 1.015 (calc)
• Bitterness 23.1 IBU
• Efficiency 78%
• Alcohol 4.01%
• Colour 6 EBC
• Batch Size 54L

Fermentation

• Primary 10 days
• Conditioning 4 days

 

[beerbrewer76543]

I see your hop addition was at 40mins... Did you get much flavour / aroma coming through?

I love a nice crisp Kolsch! Prost! :beer:

 

[donburke]

This is the discussion topic for the recipe: BullsHead Kolsch

drinking a similar beer as we speak, same grains + 5% munich, same yeast, similar mash schedule, fermented cooler @ 14c

... and like your father, i concur that this is one fine beer !

 

[Tony]

I see your hop addition was at 40mins... Did you get much flavour / aroma coming through?

Yes heaps.

All my bittering additions these days in most beers are with low alpha hops at 40 to 45 min.

I need half the late hops (if i use them) and get a great ballanced hoppiness thats more stable (lasts longer) as aposed to a grassy hop hit that fades over a few weeks with lots of late hops.

give it a try!

I just made a Pilsner with almost 200g of SAAZ in a 40 min boil and 1/2g per liter at 10 min. You should have smelt it into the fermenter..... WOW.

This also works great in a german pils with hallertau...... Becks eat your heart out!

cheers

 

[dmac80]

Hey Tony,
The recipe looks good. To brew a Kolsch was one of the reasons i went AG, i thinks it's probably time.
Looks like the local stocks 2565 Kolsch so i'll be using that instead. I'll report back on how it goes.
Cheers

 

[dmac80]

Bullshead kolsch.
tastes the same as hunter kolsch to me. I'm stoked. My best beer yet

 

[Tony]

awsome mate...... its a good drop hey.

We need to get you filtering next

 

[Nick JD]

awsome mate...... its a good drop hey.

We need to get you filtering next

Wie Klsch!

 

[beerbrewer76543]

Yes heaps.

All my bittering additions these days in most beers are with low alpha hops at 40 to 45 min.

I need half the late hops (if i use them) and get a great ballanced hoppiness thats more stable (lasts longer) as aposed to a grassy hop hit that fades over a few weeks with lots of late hops.

give it a try!

I just made a Pilsner with almost 200g of SAAZ in a 40 min boil and 1/2g per liter at 10 min. You should have smelt it into the fermenter..... WOW.

This also works great in a german pils with hallertau...... Becks eat your heart out!

cheers

Hey Tony, thanks for the info. Just to clarify, are you chilling or no-chilling? I currently no-chill in my kettle (19L stockpot) so if I were to use this technique I'd have to adjust for no-chill method by 15-30 minutes (???)

 

[Tony]

mmmm no chilling.......

I no chill now and then but generally save it for bigger, maltier, low hopped beers as i find it very dificult to get a result im happy with in light hoppy beers, especially lagers and delicate ales like Kolsch. Im not saying it stuffs these beers, it's just that I get a far superiour result in the glass by snap chilling it, in flavour, clarity and especially aroma.

Now i won a NSW state championship and AABC gold with a no chilled beer but it was a 2.5 year old 8% old ale with about 20% crystal malt in it. Ive never done it but i should...... make a 50 liter batch of something light and hoppy, no chill half and chill the rest, and side by side them!

back to the question........ if no chill is your only choice, id leave the recipe be and just do it! I find i only get a bitterness increase with lots of late post 20 min hops where the AA's keep extracting after i turn off the burner in the hot wort. Most of the character in a Kolsch will be from the yeast.... its not a hoppy or malty beer. It should be ballanced to a bee's dick with nothing standing out, but lots going on in harmony to create a slap in the face great beer.

:icon_offtopic: here but its my thread so stuff it.

If you are no chilling in the kettle, have you considered using a hop sock or similar to remove the hopswhen you turn off the heat to stop the bitterness going up?

 

[beerbrewer76543]

Yeah I bought a couple of hop bags this week... What do you reckon about late hops though, just leave in there for 5 minutes or so before removing?

PS yeah Kolsh really is about subtlety. Cowaramup Brewery do a good kolsch with just a hint extra hop resin or something that is really nice

edit: for this recipe I'd add hops at 45 in the bag and remove at flameout, hoping the long rest at high temp while no chilling doesn't drive off aroma... or do a mini boil before pitching, say boil 3L of wort and do a TINY aroma addition say 5g...???

 

[Tony]

na just add all your hops in a 40 min boil. You dont want any hop aroma but some character will remain... thats the bees dick amount i was talking about.

Dont go stuffing around with seperate boils ect..... its just going to end badly. keep it simple!

a lot of low alpah hops in a 40 min boil will lend a good character to the beer that compliments the style....... i use this method for most of my Euro lagers too. works well

cheers

 

[beerbrewer76543]

ok cheers :beer:

 

[Superoo]

Tony,
this may be a dumb question mate, but are you saying you are only doing a 40 minute boil, or just add hops at 40 in a 60 minute boil ?

sorry again of its a dumb question, but I've just never heard of a boil under 60 mins

and I want to make this asap.

cheers,
Happy easter everyone.

 

[dj1984]

it probably would be a 90 min boil using pils malt

 

[Tony]

90 minute boil, add hops with 40 min to go.

cheers

 

[Bada Bing Brewery]

Superb beer. I chucked in some acid malt, the rest was per the recipe. If any new AG brewer wants to try out different styles, follow the Bullshead beers in the database.
Not one has disappointed.
Thanks Tony
Cheers
BBB

 

[BigDaddy]

mmmm no chilling.......

If you are no chilling in the kettle, have you considered using a hop sock or similar to remove the hopswhen you turn off the heat to stop the bitterness going up?

Sometimes the answer is right in front of your eyes! - I just had an epiphany reading the above:

Tony, i brewed your Witbier and didnt use a hop sock and wondered why it was so bitter after no chilling....still tastes bloody good. This is compared to previous beers that I have no chilled but used the hop socks which finished bittered to a predictable level.

Looks like it will be hop socks for me from now on. I love this alchemy :beer:

 

[punkin]

Would really like to try this recipe, i'm looking for a pale, easy drinking beer i can brew with the ingredients i have on hand.

Is there a substitue hops i can use from the following?

POR
Cenntenial
Northern Brewer
Amarillo (i suspect this one maybe?)


I did read that the flavour is derived from the yeast, but i'd initially be using us-05 as that's what i have available. If it goes down well i'd see about mail ordering some Kolsch yeast.


I really like the simple grain bill and the easy drinking paleness.
Worth doing, or keep looking?

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

I can't see an issue using the same malt bill to make something that resembles a very drinkable/ quaffa pale.

As you pointed out though, if you want to make a Kolsch you need to use the yeast, it has a very distinct flavour.

Hoping to try this one too in a couple of months.